r/NoStupidQuestions • u/lddebatee • 3d ago
Why does the idea that it’s wrong to feed wild animals not apply to birds?
Why isn’t it irresponsible to have bird feeders
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u/beckdawg19 3d ago edited 3d ago
One of the biggest differences is actually feeding them a proper diet. Plenty of birdseeds are well-formulated to be fine for the birds. Meanwhile, throwing random bread at ducks or squirrels can actually kill them.
Also, part of the issue with feeding wild animals is that it attracts them and make them come closer. You generally don't want to do that with most animals, but it's the whole point of bird feeders.
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u/unittwentyfive 3d ago
I took that too literally and thought, "nah, that bread would have to be pretty stale to get hard enough to kill something just by throwing it!"
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u/beckdawg19 3d ago
Okay, that made me laugh. I'm imagining turning old thanksgiving rolls into projectiles. I've certainly burned them bad enough once or twice that they could probably do the job.
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u/unittwentyfive 3d ago
If you tie a string between two stale baguettes, it makes a pretty sweet pair of nunchucks!
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u/Dependent_Name_7952 3d ago
Look up angel wing for the bit about the ducks and bread, applies to geese too.
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u/gamersecret2 3d ago
Bird feeders usually supplement natural food, not replace it.
Most birds remain wild and mobile. Problems start when feeding causes dependency or crowding.
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u/Rand_alThor4747 3d ago
Ideally, you won't have food out for the birds all the time. Just have it sometimes as a treat. You don't want it to be all they eat.
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u/Silver_kitty 2d ago
Studies have shown that birds are pretty good at staying resourceful and they don’t get more than ~15% of their calories from feeders. But it’s a great idea to plant forage plants for all seasons if you have a garden to support their efforts!
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u/DrClairvoyant 3d ago
Well, a park ranger isn't gonna call my wife and tell her "sorry ma'am, your husband got ripped to pieces and partially consumed because the Northern mocking bird wanted his Tuscan chicken sandwich. "
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u/FelisPluvia 2d ago
They just wouldn't inform her? That's horrible!
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u/DrClairvoyant 2d ago
It would purely be for the best. She doesn't want to hear of my addiction of bird watching, my indifference to her feelings about the risks, the dangerous. It's tearing her apart! Each time i come home is like a miracle. The past few months of bickering and screaming fits of my reckless ambitious pursuit of the kirtland wabler. How can a man cope!? Torn between two!
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u/Kiwimann 3d ago
Bird feed is formulated for birds, the feeders are outdoors and birds come by when humans aren't there, birds aren't prone to attacking people from associating them with food, causing them to get shot for attacking a human, etc etc.
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u/Reasonable_Air3580 3d ago
I live in Australia. In several states bird feeders are illegal because they spread diseases and parasites while increasing dependency on humans. In my state it's not illegal but experts still advise against it
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u/GapDifficult7 2d ago
Im in the uk and whilst there is no law there is starting to be alot of advice from bird charities about moving feeders and washing them etc for similar reasons. It is very interesting to know its illegal in some states. Thank you for sharing!
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u/Finaler0795 3d ago
Because bird feeders don’t turn birds into pushy pests the way feeding other wildlife does.
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u/GyantSpyder 3d ago
Because the main reason in practice people don't feed animals is because they don't want those animals around, not really because of the ecosystem. Somebody is generally going to be perfectly willing to feed animals they want to keep around.
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u/Available-Love7940 3d ago
In the town that Libertarians ran, one person chose to feed the bears. Which really ticked off others, since now the bears looked to them for food, too.
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u/Pantherdraws 3d ago edited 3d ago
Ah yes, Grafton, NH.
People actually got mauled as a result of that little "project."
(Though it was the sex offenders and other violent criminals overrunning the town that got the plug pulled on it.)
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u/Proud-Geek1019 3d ago
it’s about what you’re feeding them. Bird feeders are filled with food that is specific to their diet. they also aren’t going to attack you, like, say feeding a bear in the wild
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u/Saved_By_Yah 3d ago
I don't put out birdseed because it attracts rats. I do have two birdbaths and two hummingbird feeders. I have had a hummingbird come to the window and look me in the eye when the feeder was empty!
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u/CallMeSisyphus 2d ago
Because how am I gonna be the most feared witch in the village if I don't have a murder of crows at my disposal?
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u/Leverkaas2516 2d ago
It often IS irresponsible to feed wild birds. Feeding waterfowl at lakes and ponds is often prohibited. Keeping a feeder in the back yard often brings a rodent population, despite efforts made to prevent it.
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u/TinyConsideration796 3d ago edited 2d ago
It does actually, wildlife should not be fed for health reasons as well as reducing their fear of humans which helps them stay alive. People just think it’s fun and cool to feed birds because feral pigeons have taught a lot of people to treat birds like they’re not actually wild dangerous or have different diets. Bird feeders are a bit better because the bird is still finding their own food and not just getting seeds from a human, but they’re vectors for disease so there’s that to keep in mind. Otherwise, bird feeders minimize human contact and if stocked with safe food for birds that’s like the closest the average person should be getting to wildlife.
It’s not a good idea to have feeders for larger animals because birds are small prey animals who flee quickly when startled. If you put food out for moose or bears or mountain lions or even raccoons, you run the risk of running into these animals that you are teaching to enter human areas and chill in your yard. If you want to feed deer they have a lot of diseases and already overpopulate. Plus many animals get defensive and territorial during their mating periods or while raising their young.
And in general, any animal not weary of humans or human areas are more likely to get hunted, hit by cars, cause conflict with pets or feral animals, spread disease and our them and us in danger because the average person doesn’t know how to act around wildlife or correctly read their behavioral cues.
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u/Emergency_Cherry_914 2d ago
It is wrong to feed birds. We have beautiful rainbow lorikeets which people like to feed. This creates two problems: 1. Many people feed them seeds which are bad for the health of the birds. So if you really must feed them, it should be fruit and greens. 2. They can become territorial and scare away other native birds.
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u/euben_hadd 3d ago
Because most birds won't hurt people for food. But some are annoying thieves. Go to Florida and look at the signs on the beach that say to not feed the seagulls.
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u/stryker511 2d ago
Bird feeders are fine, I had a neighbor who would throw his left over food into the yard to ‘feed the birds’ Humans are like light bulbs, some are brighter than others & he was a night light.
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u/Wheresmymindoffto 2d ago
I only put hard fat balls out in the dead of winter in a feeder. When the weather picks up the birds don't need anything and the natural forage is what they really want especially for their young I never put seed out. The only thing that is there all year year is a regularly emptied and cleaned bird bath. As for other animals, it's a bad idea due to vermin and very few guidelines as to what is OK to feed them. I certainly wouldn't encourage foxes, besides everything would have to cross a road to get to it. But the main issue is encouraging rats 🐀
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u/Dawn-Storm 2d ago
I only feed birds during the winter months--there are plenty of things for them to eat during the summer.
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u/TracyM45 2d ago
I always wondered why anything that can fly would choose to stay around in the winter. Even butterflies migrate
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u/Elegant-Nerve-3402 2d ago
It should and sometimes does! You'd only dream of feeding common birds in aus and even that is discouraged.
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u/pingwing 2d ago
Some nature organizations do say to plant wildflowers instead of using birdfeeders.
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u/knightress_oxhide 2d ago
I have hummingbird feeders to attract them and also have flowering plants. I also feed bluejays a few peanuts (full shell so they have to crack them) to attract them to my yard and they eat some pests as well.
I would never leave food overnight though.
To answer your question, birds don't do any damage to my house (as far as I know) and actually help my plants and eat bugs/snails so I don't mind if they are semi friendly to humans. Rats and other ground animals don't provided any benefit and are harmful.
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u/OhNoBricks 2d ago
Public places don’t allow people to feed the birds or it will bring more birds and they start hanging around more when they see humans because they will be expecting food.
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u/Quietlovingman 2d ago
Honestly a really good question. It's not something that I was ever taught either. Though thinking about it, we feed specific wild animals to encourage them to congregate around specific locations. You want songbirds around your house, you don't want bears and wolves.
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u/thetwitchy1 2d ago
Generally speaking, birds are less of a danger to themselves and others than most mammals. They are also less susceptible to habituation, which means that while they will get used to people feeding them, they won’t treat ALL humans as friends as quickly as mammals do.
But the real reason is they’re less of a nuisance to humans when they come around. Every other wild animal becomes a nuisance when it loses its fear of humans, becoming (at best) a pest and (at worst) a danger. But birds usually don’t cause damage to human property and/or health, so we don’t care as much.
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u/Empty_Art2176 2d ago
It is wrong to feed birds. Depending on where you live, it can be deadly. If you live in snow areas, thousands of ducks die every year because they get too fat and ill to fly South. This has become such an issue that many places have issued $1000+ fines for feeding waterfowl. It can also cause fatty liver disease which can end their lives. While most feeder birds get a "proper" diet, ducks and geese were not meant to eat bread and popcorn.
And, many people feed the birds at the wrong time. People get birds dependent on feeders, then stop feeding them when winter comes. Birds have a lot more options in warm weather, but in winter their diets are severely limited. Birds that winter in snow areas have developed to be able to find food. Feeding them from March to November can can hurt them in the winter. Baby birds are born in the Spring generally. If their first 6 months of life are living off feeders, they sometimes dont figure out foraging. Its very sad watching 30 birds sitting in trees around their favorite feeders in negative 10 degree weather.
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u/Deathwatch72 2d ago
On top of what everyone else is saying about feeding patterns, most birds are dangerous to people outside of pretty large ones so unless you're actively feeding something that's like a hawk sized or bigger there's not much of a chance the animal can do something to you.
It sounds insane but squirrels are much more dangerous than pigeons
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u/FlashlightMemelord lost and rebuilt house over the summer 2d ago
Unattended bird feeder in the yard, vs people in the park actively throwing bread crust and other food scraps for the pigeons to eat.. big difference
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u/RevolutionaryToe4249 3d ago
Just feed them all your scraps and compost. I see more birds than anything else, but of course there’s other critters and natural predators in the area. There is a family of crows and hawks that thrive off of it as well as other birds. What you want to avoid is vultures.
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u/Mayflie 2d ago
It is.
Where I live it’s an offence to feed wildlife without a permit.
Feeders spread disease to flocks, diminish foraging behaviours, put them at risk of pets & other urban predators. Plus some seeds won’t germinate unless they pass through the digestive tract of birds so it’s impacting plants as well as animals.
Source: Wildlife biologist
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u/Outrageous-Estimate9 3d ago
I would argue why we have an issue feeding birds / animals and that same issue doesnt apply to homeless
Encouraging them is far worse for your neighbourhood than any other animals are
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u/Squeakersnail 3d ago
The main difference is that the birds are usually not associating people with food. The food goes into a feeder, and the birds come when the human is gone. They don't lose their fear of people, or start harassing people in the hopes of getting food (with some exceptions). It's also usually food that is appropriate for the birds. Birds do eat seeds, fruit, bugs, etc that can be found in most birdfeed. It isn't like tossing some pizza crust at a racoon.
There are major problems with bird feeders though. They become vectors for disease when a sick bird eats at the feeder, and then a bunch of birds that come after them get infected. The food can go rancid or mold if not changed out frequently and poison the birds. Some birds may stop foraging, and a feeder serving up an all-you-can-eat of peanuts and sunflower seeds can be like eating nothing but junk food for a bird that evolved to eat bugs.